Gazprom signs deal to purchase 15.5 bn cm of gas from Uzbekistan
Gazprom signed deal to increase natural gas purchases from Uzbekistan by 4.25 bn to 15.5 bn cm in 2010, the Russian
state-controlled energy giant said. Gazprom said it will buy gas on a price formula corresponding to European gas
market levels, and that the two countries will soon start drafting a longer-term contract.
"A contract was signed to buy 4.25 bn cm of gas in 2010. Taking into account earlier contracts for 2010, Gazprom's
portfolio will be 15.5 bn cm of Uzbek gas," the company said.
World gas prices, which experienced a continuous decline since early 2009 driven by the financial crisis, have
rebounded since September amid talk of economic recovery and improvement in demand.
A Gazprom delegation led by deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev visited Uzbekistan, one of the largest gas producers in the
post Soviet space. The deal came after Russia signed a contract for 30 bn cm of gas supplies a year with another
Central Asian republic, Turkmenistan, earlier which agreed to resume deliveries after a months-long dispute over a
pipeline explosion.
Russia also transits natural gas, mainly from Turkmenistan, via Uzbekistan.
The Central Asia-Centre gas pipeline carrying gas to Russia and the pipeline to China pass through Uzbek territory.
